No estado do Rio Grande do Sul, estão localizadas importantes regiões de extração e processamento do material gemológico ágata. No Distrito Mineiro do Salto do Jacuí encontram-se as maiores jazidas de ágata do Brasil e do Mundo. No município de Soledade se concentram as principais empresas de beneficiamento e comércio de materiais gemológicos. Apesar da abundância de material, a maioria dos objetos produzidos apresenta baixo grau de inovação, os produtos oferecidos no mercado são muito semelhantes entre si e tem, em comum, a falta de diferencial e de utilização de processos que envolvam tecnologia. A ágata é geralmente exportada em estado bruto ou apresentando baixo grau de aproveitamento. O processamento mais comum, utilizado na maior parte das empresas, é o corte em chapas que posteriormente são lixadas, polidas e tingidas em diversas cores. Entre as empresas pesquisadas no presente estudo apenas uma já utiliza processos envolvendo novas tecnologias. Pode-se afirmar que a pesquisa e estudos que auxiliem em um melhor aproveitamento do material ágata possam representar novas oportunidades de produção de objetos e adornos pessoais (jóias) modificando um cenário onde o design inovador é pouco explorado e apresentado. A metodologia empregada para a realização deste estudo contemplou etapas de conhecimento da realidade dos locais de extração, beneficiamento e comercialização de ágata, avaliação dos processos, ensaio de usinagem convencional CNC, ensaios de usinagem não convencional por jato d’água CNC e desenvolvimento de produtos em formas complexas. Foram realizados vinte e quatro ensaios de usinagem, a análise posterior identifica larguras e espessuras ideais buscando a otimização da matéria-prima. Desta forma foi possível alcançar o objetivo principal nesta pesquisa de realizar o corte de ágata com utilização de tecnologia CNC em peças com formas complexas. / Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, has important regions of extraction and processing of agate. Salto Jacuí Mining District, in the central region of this State, is one of the largest and more importante agate’s mines region of Brazil and even of the World. In Soledade town, there are the most important gemstone processing and trade companies of this State. Despite the abundance of gem materials, most of the objects produced in the different companies are very similar and have in common that they seldom are manufactured using new technological processes. Agate is usually exported as raw material or as cut polished slabs which can be dyed in various colors. Among several companies studied in this research, only one uses industrial processes involving new technologies. So, scientifical studies to indicate a better use of agate produced in Rio Grande do Sul, can provide new opportunities for the production of objects and personal ornaments (jewelry), modifying the trade where innovative designs are little explored. The methodology used in this study had several steps: identification of the extraction, processing and trade places of agate; evaluation of the industrial benefit processes used in agate; testing of conventional CNC machining on agate slabs; and testing on agate slabs of non-conventional computer controled machining by water jet cutting (WJC), with development of complex forms agate products. Twenty-four machining tests were carried out, with further analysis identifying ideal widths and thicknesses to optimize the use of agate raw material. With these tests, it was possible to achieve the goal of this study, which is to cut agate using water jet technology, in order to produce agate objects with complex forms.

Inclusive education has increased in popularity over the last two decades. Inclusiveclassrooms consist of children from diverse backgrounds and with variousimpairments, with special educational needs. Children with special educationalneeds in vision require assistive tools to access visual information. Topics thatmake strong use of such information, e.g. geometry, can therefore be challengingfor children with visual impairments or blindness (VIB) as well as their teachers.Assistive tools like video magniers and physical objects in the shape ofgeometric gures are used to aid VIB in learning basic geometry. Researchershave investigated tools and applications to aid VIB in learning geometry byusing haptic or auditory feedback as well as combinations of these. However,the tools are often not created with considering the classroom environment. Tounderstand the situation and challenges of these two stakeholders (VIBs andtheir teachers) better, a preliminary questionnaire was conducted. Five participantsof each of the two groups lled out the questionnaires. A concept for anAndroid tablet application to convey pre-existing geometric shapes and theirannotations to VIB, using sound feedback and sonication was created andpartly developed in two incremental implementation phases. The shapes arerecreated on the tablet using elements like circles and paths and then enhancedwith sound feedback to guide VIB to the various elements. With an iterativedesign, the two prototype increments were evaluated. The rst evaluation wasan usability study. Using seven blindfolded, young adult participants, feedbackwas gathered on dierent combinations between sound, tactile, and vibrationfeedback, as well as the general usability of the application for an validation ofthe approach. Each participants was presented the dierent approaches in anotherorder. For each approach, they were asked to explore three basic geometricshapes and then, without blindfold, draw these shapes. The time for applicationinteraction was measured and overall observation notes were taken. After eachapproach a short questionnaire was given to the participant. Another longerquestionnaire was conducted after all approaches were tested. It was foundthat sound feedback alone is not sucient in precisely conveying the geometricshapes to the users. However, combined with tactile objects to mark positionsof vertices on the screen the result improved signicantly and this approach wasfavored by the participants. The usability of the application is good but hasroom for improvement. A study was conducted with two teachers as expertslater on with the second prototype version. Two teachers with several yearsof experience teaching geometry to VIB in inclusive settings were interviewedconcerning the expected usability of the application for VIB and in the classroom,as well as general challenges and possibilities of including the applicationinto geometry lectures. As the teachers were located in Germany, they weresent a video demonstrating the application. One interview was conducted overemail while the other was conducted over Skype. The only challenges identiedare the media anity of teachers and the reliability of technology. VIB are notexpected to face challenges in utilizing the application and teachers could havemore freedom in the geometric shapes they present to their class.

Le processus de discrétisation faisant inévitablement appel à des capteurs, et ceux-ci étant limités de par leur nature, de nombreux effets secondaires apparaissent alors lors de ce processus; en particulier, nous perdons la propriété d'être "bien-composé" dans le sens où deux objects discrétisés peuvent être connectés ou non en fonction de la connexité utilisée dans l'image discrète, ce qui peut amener à des ambigüités. De plus, les images discrétisées sont des tableaux de valeurs numériques, et donc ne possèdent pas de topologie par nature, contrairement à notre modélisation usuelle du monde en mathématiques et en physique. Perdre toutes ces propriétés rend difficile l'élaboration d'algorithmes topologiquement corrects en traitement d'images: par exemple, le calcul de l'arbre des formes nécessite que la representation d'une image donnée soit continue et bien-composée; dans le cas contraire, nous risquons d'obtenir des anomalies dans le résultat final. Quelques representations continues et bien-composées existent déjà, mais elles ne sont pas simultanément n-dimensionnelles et auto-duales. La n-dimensionalité est cruciale sachant que les signaux usuels sont de plus en plus tridimensionnels (comme les vidéos 2D) ou 4-dimensionnels (comme les CT-scans). L'auto-dualité est nécéssaire lorsqu'une même image contient des objets a contrastes divers. Nous avons donc développé une nouvelle façon de rendre les images bien-composées par interpolation de façon auto-duale et en n-D; suivie d'une immersion par l'opérateur span, cette interpolation devient une représentation auto-duale continue et bien-composée du signal initial n-D. Cette représentation bénéficie de plusieurs fortes propriétés topologiques: elle vérifie le théorème de la valeur intermédiaire, les contours de chaque coupe de la représentation sont déterminés par une union disjointe de surfaces discrète, et ainsi de suite / Digitization of the real world using real sensors has many drawbacks; in particular, we loose ``well-composedness'' in the sense that two digitized objects can be connected or not depending on the connectivity we choose in the digital image, leading then to ambiguities. Furthermore, digitized images are arrays of numerical values, and then do not own any topology by nature, contrary to our usual modeling of the real world in mathematics and in physics. Loosing all these properties makes difficult the development of algorithms which are ``topologically correct'' in image processing: e.g., the computation of the tree of shapes needs the representation of a given image to be continuous and well-composed; in the contrary case, we can obtain abnormalities in the final result. Some well-composed continuous representations already exist, but they are not in the same time n-dimensional and self-dual. n-dimensionality is crucial since usual signals are more and more 3-dimensional (like 2D videos) or 4-dimensional (like 4D Computerized Tomography-scans), and self-duality is necessary when a same image can contain different objects with different contrasts. We developed then a new way to make images well-composed by interpolation in a self-dual way and in n-D; followed with a span-based immersion, this interpolation becomes a self-dual continuous well-composed representation of the initial n-D signal. This representation benefits from many strong topological properties: it verifies the intermediate value theorem, the boundaries of any threshold set of the representation are disjoint union of discrete surfaces, and so on

This thesis deals with the design of a single-purpose manipulator for automatic tool changing with a three-cams generator of the working cycle. At the beginning of the paper, general background information about tool trays and manipulators for the change of tools is briefly described. The scheme of the kinematic manipulator is proposed in this work as well. The thesis also includes the calculation of the shapes of the grooves in the cams. The result of this work is the design of the manipulator, including an animation of tool changing.

The content of work is to determine modal characteristics of bridge construction over the Dyje river near Břeclav. That is done in ANSYS software and AxisVM software. These characteristics are compared with results from dynamic loading test and they are compared between themselves. In thesis is also an assessment of response to static traffic loads because of decision about dynamic analysis necessity. Then there is a simulation of dynamic traffic loads and results of this simulation are compared with results of dynamic analysis which was done by the project. The aim is to do a few static and dynamic tasks and compare results with the real dynamic test and with calculated results and to determinate the effect on certain variables.

Fiber reinforced polymeric (FRP) composite materials are beginning to find use in construction and infrastructure applications. Composite members may potentially provide more durable replacements for steel and concrete in primary and secondary bridge structures, but the experience with composites in these applications is minimal. Recently, however, a number of groups in the United States have constructed short-span traffic bridges utilizing FRP members. These demonstration cases will facilitate the development of design guidelines and durability data for FRP materials. The Tom's Creek Bridge rehabilitation is one such project that utilizes a hybrid FRP composite beam in an actual field application. This thesis details much of the experimental work conducted in conjunction with the Tom's Creek Bridge rehabilitation. All of the composite beams used in the rehabilitation were first proof tested in four-point bending. A mock-up of the bridge was then constructed in the laboratory using the actual FRP beams and timber decking. The mock-up was tested in several static loading schemes to evaluate the bridge response under HS20 loading. The lab testing indicated a deflection criterion of nearly L/200; the actual field structure was stiffer at L/450. This was attributed to the difference in boundary conditions for the girders and timber panels. Finally, the bridge response was verified with an analytical model that treats the bridge structure as a wood beam resting upon discrete elastic springs. The model permits both bending and torsional stiffness in the composite beams, as well as shear deformation. A parametric study was conducted utilizing this model and a mechanics of laminated beam theory to provide recommendations for alternate bridge designs and modified composite beam designs. / Master of Science

Incidence coalgebras of categories as defined by Joni and Rota are studied, specifically in cases where a strict monoidal product on the underlying category turns the incidence coalgebra into a bialgebra or weak bialgebra. Examples of these incidence bialgebras in combinatorics are given, and include rooted trees and forests, skew shapes and bigraphs. The relations between incidence bialgebras of monoidal categories, incidence bialgebras of operads and posets, combinatorial Hopf algebras and the quiver Hopf algebras of Cibils and Rosso are discussed. Building on a result of Bergbauer and Kreimer, incidence bialgebras are seen as a useful setting in which to study aspects of combinatorial Dyson-Schwinger equations. The possibility of defining a grafting operator B+ and combinatorial DysonSchwinger equations for general incidence bialgebras is explored through the example of skew shapes.:1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Incidence bialgebras of monoidal categories and multicategories 4. Combinatorial Dyson-Schwinger equations

A variety of embedded systems is used within the design and the construction of trucks within Scania. Because of their heterogeneity and complexity, such systems require the use of many software tools to support embedded systems development. These tools need to form a well-integrated and effective development environment, in order to ensure that product data is consistent and correct across the developing organisation. A prototype is under development which adapts a linked data approach for data integration, more specifically this prototype adapt the Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration(OSLC) specification for data-integration. The prototype allows users, to design OSLC-interfaces between product management tools and OSLC-links between their data. The user is further allowed to apply constraints on the data conforming to the OSLC validation language Resource Shapes(ReSh). The problem lies in the prototype conforming only to the language of Resource Shapes whose constraints are often too coarse-grained for Scania’s needs, and that there exists no standardised language for the validation of linked data. Thus, for framing this study two research questions was formulated (1) How can a common graphical language be created for supporting all validation technologies of RDF-data? and (2) How can this graphical language support the automatic generation of RDF-graphs? A case study is conducted where the specific case consists of a software tool named SESAMM-tool at Scania. The case study included a constraint language comparison and a prototype extension. Furthermore, a design science research strategy is followed, where an effective artefact was searched for answering the stated research questions. Design science promotes an iterative process including implementation and evaluation. Data has been empirically collected in an iterative development process and evaluated using the methods of informed argument and controlled experiment, respectively, for the constraint language comparison and the extension of the prototype. Two constraint languages were investigated Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL) and Shapes Expression (ShEx). The result of the constraint language comparison concluded SHACL as the constraint language with a larger domain of constraints having finer-grained constraints also with the possibility of defining new constraints. This was based on that SHACL constraints was measured to cover 89.5% of ShEx constraints and 67.8% for the converse. The SHACL and ShEx coverage on ReSh property constraints was measured to 75% and 50%. SHACL was recommended and chosen for extending the prototype. On extending the prototype abstract super classes was introduced into the underlying data model. Constraint language classes were stated as subclasses. SHACL was additionally stated as such a subclass. This design offered an increased code reuse within the prototype but gave rise to issues relating to the plug-in technologies that the prototype is based upon. The current solution still has the issue that properties of one constraint language may be added to classes of another constraint language. / En mängd olika inbyggda system används inom design och konstruktion av lastbilar inom Scania. På grund av deras heterogenitet och komplexitet kräver sådana system användningen av många mjukvaruverktyg för att stödja inbyggd systemutveckling. Dessa verktyg måste bilda en välintegrerad och effektiv utvecklingsmiljö för att säkerställa att produktdata är konsekventa och korrekta över utvecklingsorganisationen.En prototyp håller på att utvecklas som anpassar en länkad datainriktning för dataintegration, mer specifikt anpassar denna prototyp en dataintegration specifikation utvecklad av Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration(OSLC). Prototypen tillåter användare att utforma OSLC-gränssnitt mellan produkthanteringsverktyg och OSLC-länkar mellan deras data. Användaren får vidare tillämpa begränsningar på de data som överensstämmer med OSLC-valideringsspråket Resource Shapes. Problemet ligger i prototypen som endast överensstämmer med Resource Shapes, vars begränsningar ofta är för grova för Scanias behov och att det inte finns något standardiserat språk för validering av länkad data. Således, för att utforma denna studie formulerades två forskningsfrågor (1) Hur kan ett gemensamt grafiskt språk skapas för att stödja alla valideringsteknologier av RDF-data? och (2) Hur kan detta grafiska språk stödja Automatisk generering av RDF-grafer? En fallstudie genomförs där det specifika fallet består av ett mjukvaruverktyg som heter SESAMM-tool hos Scania. Fallstudien innehöll en jämförelse av valideringsspråk och vidareutveckling av prototypen. Vidare följs Design Science som forskningsstrategi där en effektiv artefakt sökts för att svara på de angivna forskningsfrågorna. Design Science främjar en iterativ process inklusive genomförande och utvärdering. Data har empiriskt samlats på ett iterativt sätt och utvärderats med hjälp av utvärderingsmetoderna informerat argument och kontrollerat experiment, för valideringsspråkjämförelsen och vidareutvecklingen av prototypen. Två valideringsspråk undersöktes Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL) och Shapes Expression (ShEx).Resultatet av valideringsspråksjämförelsen konkluderade SHACL som valideringsspråket med en större domän av begränsningar, mer finkorniga begränsningar och med möjligheten att definiera nya begränsningar. Detta var baserat på att SHACL-begränsningarna uppmättes täcka 89,5 % av ShEx-begränsningarna och 67,8 % för det omvända. SHACL- och ShEx-täckningen för Resource Shapes-egenskapsbegränsningar mättes till 75 % respektive 50 %. SHACL rekommenderades och valdes för att vidareutveckla prototypen.Vid vidareutveckling av prototypen infördes abstrakta superklasser i den underliggande datamodellen. Superklasserna tog i huvudsak rollen som tidigare klasser för valideringsspråk, som istället utgjordes som underklasser. SHACL anges som en sådan underklass. Denna design erbjöd hög kodåteranvändning inom prototypen men gav också upphov till problem som relaterade till plugin-teknologier som prototypen bygger på. Den nuvarande lösningen har fortfarande problemet att egenskaper hos ett valideringsspråk kan läggas till klasser av ett annat valideringsspråk.

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Optical membranes are currently pursued for their ability to replace the conventional mirrors that are used to correct wave front aberration and space-based telescopes. Among some of the many benefits of using optical membranes, is their ability to considerably reduce the weight of the structure. As a secondary effect, the cost of transportation, which is of great interest in space applications, is reduced as well. Given the low density of these thin-film membranes, the lower end dynamics play a greater significant role than their rigid plate-like counterparts in achieving functional mirrors. Space-based mirrors are subjected to a series of disturbances. Among those encountered are thermal radiation, debris impact, and slewing maneuvers. Thus, dynamic control is essential for the adequate performance of thin-film membrane mirrors. With this in mind, the work described herein aims to improve the performance of optical membranes with an innovative, acoustical control approach to suppress vibration of optical membranes backed by an air cavity. This is achieved by using a centralized acoustic source in the cavity as the method of actuation. The acoustic actuation is of great interest since it does not mass load the membrane in the conventional way, as most methods of actuation would. To achieve this end goal, two structural-acoustic coupled models are developed to describe the dynamics of a pressurized optical membrane system. This is done through an impedance based modeling approach where the subsystems are modeled individually, and then coupled at the interface. The control of the membrane is implemented using a positive position feedback approach. The theory is also extended to positive velocity and positive acceleration feedback. Three experiments are carried out to validate the models previously mentioned. Successful implementation of a control experiment is also accomplished leading to considerable attenuations in the coupled membrane's dynamics. / Ph. D.